The Dominion WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1943. AUTHORITY OF PARLIAMENT CHALLENGED

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 307, 22 September 1943, Page 6

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1943. AUTHORITY OF PARLIAMENT CHALLENGED

One result of the broadcasting of election speeches has been to <qve the people generally a very good indication of how electois in different parts of the Dominion are reacting to the views of candidates. For example, no oiie who has been listening in to the speeches could fail to note the spontaneous bursts of applause which, invariably follow any derogatory reference to the Internal Marketing Denartment. That department unquestionably stands condemned by the voice of the people. In the same way a very sound judgment may be formed of the keenness of the resentment felt against the dominance exercised over the present Government by what is often mistakenly called trades union control. On Monday evening, when Mr. S. G. Holland proclaimed the intention of his party to free Parliament from this outside domination, listeners to the broadcast must have heard a tremendous roar of approval from the great body of electors present at the meeting.. ■ . Some people refer, in very general terms, to what they ca l tiatle union domination of Parliament, but actually that is not strictly correct. The control that is exercised over the Government docs not come from the great body of trade unionists, but from a small group that has managed to entrench itself in power within the Labour Union movement. That group has obtained almost dictatorial powers within what is essentially a democratic movement. 1 his has been made possible largely by the indifference of a large number of unionists tn normal times, and has been accentuated by the enforcement of compulsory membership, many of those compelled to join unions taking no interest in the affairs of these unions. Both these things have contributed to enable the militant section to acquire control, and there can be no possible denial of the charge that they have used this power extensively in the purely political sphere for the furtherance of their ° Wll Thl S p O sition was exposed in a startling manner a little time ago when it became known that men, who held no politically responsible position but who were leaders of the Labour movement, had either been delegated authority by the Government, or, which is nioie likely, had usurped the power to negotiate in a dispute which had arisen between the Government and a highly placed State employee. Of the men who actually negotiated what turped out to be a very temporary agreement, only one held any political office, and that by appointment, not by election. All the others were prominent members of the party outside Parliament, yet they took this matter completely out of the hands of the Government and later advised the head of the Admniisttation of the terms reached. That was the thing which, perhaps more than any other, opened the eyes of the people to what was taking place, of the extent to which this outside exercise of power had developed, and, it followed, of the degree to-which the authority of Government and’Parliament.had been subordinated to these outsiders. It is therefore, not without significance that any and every piomise made by candidates for Parliament—broadcast or not—to stop this sort of thing has been endorsed By the people in the customary way, loud and prolonged applause. There was, as stated hteially a roar of approval when Mr. Holland made the statement during his speech at Hamilton, that this state of affairs must be ended, and theie can be no doubt that that is the feeling throughout the whole country.